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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24811354">Bastards of Lucis</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ftbprotocol/pseuds/ftbprotocol'>ftbprotocol</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bunnies I Might Continue [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Episode Ardyn Spoilers, Gen, Not Beta Read</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:01:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,079</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24811354</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ftbprotocol/pseuds/ftbprotocol</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens to the bastards of the Lucian Kings? Hidden as part of the Kingsglaive of course. One such glaive is sent as part of the group to reclaim Adagium. But the fearsome daemon is not quite as monstrous as the reports claimed. Knowing the secretive nature of the royal family, the bastard starts to suspect that something is not quite right.</p><p>An outside pov of Episode Ardyn while Ardyn is wandering around Verstael Besithia's research base. Mostly just my musing on what one of the glaive sent to kill Ardyn could have been thinking in the moments leading up to the fight with Ifrit.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Bunnies I Might Continue [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1809706</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Bastards of Lucis</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Wrote this not long after I finished playing the episode last year. Finally cleaned it up and decided to post!</p><p>Enjoy :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>She was currently stuck standing just outside an opulent dining room, not daring to move lest she alert the Niflheim guards. The invisibility spell she’d weaved around herself, when she first snuck into the frozen stronghold, was still holding strong. However, any sudden movements would break the illusion. Light would bounce off fragments of the spell, rendering parts of her visible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was her own fault that she was trapped here, out in plain sight. But how could she resist when the target walked right by her. It had been blissfully unaware of her, striding down the corridor as if it truly was a man like it pretended to be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Due to her unsurpassed ability with concealing magic she’d been allowed to infiltrate without a partner. And maybe she’d let the unexpected freedom go to her head a bit, with no judging gaze critiquing her every decision, her every move. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d almost held her position, when he’d sauntered by her in the plain whites of Niflheim. But then she’d heard it mutter in disgust about how the clothes obviously weren’t tailor made, while fussing with its sleeves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought of it having wants and desires had been too intriguing to let pass. And so she’d followed it, careful to always put it between her and any passing guards. It never noticed her, seemed too caught up in its thoughts to pay much attention to its surroundings. The more she followed it, the more her curiosity was piqued. And the more frustrated with the sparse intel she’d been given by the captain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a powerful daemon dressed as man, with powers they were sworn to contain or eradicate. That was all she’d been told. And yet it also took the time to stop and sigh at how depressing and bleak the view out one of the few windows was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In her ear, her captain demanded status reports from the teams, but she couldn’t respond in turn. Too close to the Niflheim guards, too close to the door it had walked into. A deep voice had greeted it cordially, but she hadn’t been able to see who it was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She badly wished she’d been able to slip through the guards. Whatever was being discussed in there could be just the sort of information they needed to predict Niflheim’s next moves. And maybe even begin to figure out what the Empire wanted with the daemon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her only clue that it was meeting someone important was the words that had carried through the door, just before they closed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep voice asking. “Are you enjoying your stay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And its subdued voice replying. “No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which begged the question: Why was the daemon staying if it didn’t like it here? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been many minutes since then and here she was forced to stand. Far more exposed than she’d ever admit. She could only pray the bored guards would keep paying barely any attention to their surroundings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Actually… did one of them have their eyes closed? Taking a risk, she moved closer and slowly pressed her ear against the metal door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Through the door, the raised voice of the one who’d first greeted it was suddenly distinct enough for her to hear. “You, too, must desire the fall of the kingdom that cast you into exile?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She unconsciously stiffened. What…? What could the Niff possibly mean by that? A daemon can’t be cast into exile…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A heavy, world weary sigh followed. “My desires... are all in the past.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She flinched behind her mask. That emotion… it had to be faked… right? It was just a daemon convincingly playing human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So caught up in her mini crisis, she almost jumped when the door opened before her. She pressed herself further back against the side of the door. Then she scowled at the arrogant man in red who exited the room. Verstael Besithia. The one who’d freed Adagium and started the long and arduous search for the daemon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come along.” He casually spoke to Adagium, as if he didn’t have an unpredictable and dangerous daemon following at his heels. Although the look of mild disgust on the daemon’s unshaven face made her wonder if he was really that oblivious, or was he just that confident? It </span>
  <b>had</b>
  <span> been in his possession for over seven months.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To see it follow him into the hallway with a kind of resigned sigh… it was all very off-putting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking her chance while the guards were distracted, she slowly began to follow the flowing red robes of the Niff. The two of them didn’t speak on the short walk down the hallway, though she noticed the white clad daemon pick up the pace until he was only slightly behind Besithia.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stepped through the door at the end of the hallway, metal gears turning to open the sealed room. She was forced to silently step a little faster than she would like to make it through, but managed before it closed behind her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She ended up close to them. Too close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It glanced behind itself, a frown on its lips. She held her breath, praying she hadn’t just given herself away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s something you must see.” Besithia boasted, pulling its attention away from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She held her breath until her lungs burned. Waiting for them to walk further into the room. Once they turned the corner and descended a set of steps, she slowly allowed herself to breath in, slightly lightheaded by the close call.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking the brief moment of relative solitude she tapped her ear and whispered, “Stella, reporting in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She winced at the yelled expletive and quickly reached behind her ear to dim the volume. “By the Six, where have you been?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A long and curse laden lecture was awaiting her, she knew. It would probably be a long time before she’d be trusted to work alone again. After all, her orders had been to set her sights on Adagium, confirm its presence in the facility, and then retreat and regroup. Instead she’d followed it. And… even if she was told to pull back now, she knew she’d continue to follow it. And damn the consequences. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something was not right about this assignment. The daemon… there was something about him –it – she needed to see for herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adagium sighted.” She whispered into the mic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank the gods.” Her captain growled, not sounding at all appeased. “Regroup back at-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Negative sir.” She then spoke quickly, knowing she only had a brief second to convince him. “Besithia is leading it somewhere, I think to the magitek research area, if I’m right, it’s the per-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perfect location for an ambush,” He spoke over her. Annoyance flared at his lack of respect, but she suppressed it with long practice. “Alright Stella, I’ll put people in place. You report back the moment-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tuned out the rest of his orders, only acknowledging him with a quiet, “Yes sir.” Before hastily catching up to the daemon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She paused in the shadows, not quite going all the way up to the railing that overlooked the large room. Off to the side, she could just make out Besithia show Adagium something behind a display case. They were both facing her direction so she forced herself to stay out of the main room. Whatever was being shown to Adagium, that vague look of disgust was back, but he showed enough interest in what was being said for Besithia to continue talking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sighed when this went on for a while. Besithia really liked the sound of his own voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a good fifteen minutes, they began to move to the centre of the large room, Adagium disappearing from her sight while Besithia went to activate something on a strange looking table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She crept forward until she reached the railing and looked down to see it lounging on a couch while Besithia paced around a now lit diorama of Eos. He was pontificating on something that she’d missed the context to understand, pointing at things on the map. Adagium didn’t seem all that interested. In fact, from her spot above it, if she didn’t know better, she’d have sworn that he rolled its eyes when Besithia turned his back on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s</span>
  </em>
  <span>… her heart beat started to pick up. </span>
  <b>
    <em>It</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>... </span>
  </em>
  <span>She had to forcibly remind herself.</span>
  <em>
    <span> It’s too good at pretending to be human… even when it thinks no one is watching…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“This must be how the god’s feel, looking down on our world.” Besithia continued to speak, apparently so caught up in his speech that he hadn’t yet noticed his audience was barely paying attention. “Here we have a model of imperial territory. It includes our present lands as well as our… future acquisitions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besithia finally looked towards Adagium with a smirk at his last words. She tore her eyes from the slumped form on the couch to bare her teeth at him at his presumption. Like hell they were going to rule the known world that easily! It was only because of this that she saw a slight scowl, so small she almost missed it crossing his face before it was gone and back to the amiable mask from before. Adagium had his eyes closed and so missed the brief loss of composure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps Besithia was not as chummy with it as she’d originally thought. He was almost… courting it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s something you should see.” His voice didn’t show any of the frustration he had briefly seemed to be feeling. “Come with me.” He all but commanded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adagium sighed softly but complied. Unexpectedly finding herself intensely sympathizing with a daemon was certainly… new. It was almost an out of body experience, watching the daemon behave so convincingly human… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as they were far enough away, she jumped over the railing, landing silently next to the couch Adagium had been resting on. She softly followed them at a distance, weary of tipping either of them off after her earlier slip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I found something … Ravatogh. If my … specimen succeeds … information you’ve been looking for.” Bits and pieces of Besithia’s speech reached her, too little for her to make any sense of.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She followed them up the stairs at the far end of the large room. She didn’t have time to look too closely at anything, as much as she wanted to. It looked like Besithia had accumulated a large amount of ancient books and other historical objects. The painting just before the stairs was particularly arresting, but she couldn’t dawdle on it for more than a few seconds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were far enough ahead of her now that, once she reached the top of the stairs, she felt comfortable enough tapping her ear piece. “Captain, location confirmed, they’re heading your way now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. We’re in position.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned at the terse response but didn’t have the energy to think too closely on it, too busy downing the second-last of her ethers before following the red and white shapes down the tunnel-like corridor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the base of the tunnel, another one of the weird round doors common to Niff facilities was open. She could see them staring at a large window, speaking so softly she couldn’t make out the words. It took all her willpower to keep her steps slow and soft as she tried to catch up without tipping them off. Luck was on her side as the door they walked through stayed open while they talked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was just at the threshold when she’s able to make out what Besithia was saying. She entered the room, sidling along the wall in case the portal closed. She couldn’t risk getting locked out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shit.” She couldn’t stop herself saying, barely able to keep it quiet, when she saw the being they’d been staring at. Was that… the Infernian!?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if you can control him, he’ll be a weapon of supreme power.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Is Besithia </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>insane</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>?! What in all the hells is he doing!?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adagium was turned away from him, so she could see his face. It looked like he shared her disbelief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, for a heart stopping moment, he looked right at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then Besithia continued talking, “It’s certainly an enticing offer, isn’t it?” Adagium scowled and turned, towering over the younger man. “Just think, you could enact sweet revenge through divine retribution.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again with the revenge pitch. Why was he trying so hard to convince Adagium to get revenge on Lucis? That implied that Lucis did something to him worthy of revenge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do you know what I want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t. But I know you have no other options.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adagium’s shirt, or a more accurate word would be coat, was hanging open part way down his chest. It was practically… indecent. It buttoned up at the side, in the Niff style. A part of her couldn’t help but wonder… was he wearing something like that so Besithia could have easier access for his experiments?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He really… didn’t seem happy to be here. But, if he was some dangerously powerful daemon, why did he put up with it? None of this made any sense. He was too… human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, shall we? Come see the fruits of my magitek research.” Besithia turned his back on the daemon, alarmingly casual, and headed further towards where the other glaive were waiting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The ancient civilization of Solheim, forefathers of our magi-technology, once flourished on this land. Had they not incurred the wrath of the gods they may have remained prosperous to this day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you wish to restore them to greatness.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To surpass them. Which is why I need you to lend me your strength. But I’m certain magi-technology and daemons are the key to unlocking the door to a new future.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That didn’t sound good. The Empire had recently started to use the monsters in border skirmishes. The regular Lucian army didn’t stand a chance against the stronger ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She followed them as they spoke, down another long round corridor and into a large open room. She glanced around, curious what it was that Besithia wanted to show Adagium. But the room was mostly empty. Which was strange.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Movement caught her eye. To her surprise, Adagium looked up, somehow sensing or hearing the glaive just before they warped to the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lucians! But how!?” Besithia backed away from them, reaching for something at his belt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Qonmi squad, Adagium sighted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Initiating engagement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Requesting backup from Nimbus squad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shutting down communications until all clear.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Stella blinked at the last unexpected line. They were just supposed to shut down the Niff communications. Not their own as well. That had not been part of their agreed infiltration protocol.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… You’ve come to kill me, have you?” Adagium quietly stated, surprisingly calm. He even seemed a bit resigned. Which was so wrong. Everything about this was starting to feel wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or die trying.” The leader of Qonmi squad sneered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kill him? That wasn’t right! Had he actually given any sign of being a daemon she probably would never have said anything. But after observing him for the last hour, she couldn’t just let the sudden change in mission objectives pass. There had to be a mistake!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait.” She dropped her illusion, appearing next to Adagium and Qonmi squad but not obviously on either side. She wanted answers first. “Our orders were to return him to Lucis, not kill him!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adagium’s eyes flicked to her, but otherwise he didn’t react. Had he really known she was there? Qonmi squad all reacted with surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her captain and the leader of Qonmi squad quickly growled, “It. Return </span>
  <b>it</b>
  <span>. Dead or alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But he’s not- Captain, there’s been a mistake!” She tried to explain, not liking how the others were starting to fan out around Adagium. And her as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stella, get in formation.” Her captain ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But, our intel was wrong! We can’t just-“ She couldn’t just let them kill him based on faulty intel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sella.“ She flinched. She knew what that tone meant. Her captain barely tolerated her insubordination on a good day. And here she was, standing between them and their target. Her captain was about to run out of patience with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Captain, please, let me explain.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If everything she’d seen and heard was true, then by attacking him they were driving him right into the arms of their enemy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d been sent on too many questionable missions in the past. She had too many regrets after blindly following orders. Orders she’d repeatedly been told it wasn’t her place to question. It always made her want to scream. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a daemon. A monster. Step. Away from it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked away from her captain again to Adagium. Who had been standing in a relaxed stance this whole time. He was looking at her through half-lidded eyes, but she could see the resignation on his face. The assumption that she would join them and attack him, now that his initial shock at her defending him had worn off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It only solidified for her that something was wrong about this. She mutely shook her head at her captain. Refusing his order.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The captain made a hand sign she didn’t recognize. But she should know all the coded signs for the guard. How was there one she didn't know?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adagium turning his head slightly to look behind her was the only warning she was given before Nimbus squad warped in behind them. It was only due to this second of forewarning that she lived. The blade aimed for her heart skidded across her ribs instead. Years of training and instinct had her own knife appearing in hand as she slashed backwards, slicing the throat of the masked attacker.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Time slowed. She stared into the shocked eyes of someone she’d once respected. Someone she’d gone out for beers with on numerous occasions after a long day of training. Bile rose in her throat as what just happened sinked in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now she remembered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’d seen that hand signal once before. It had been on one of her earlier missions, when one of their own had gone traitor. At least that was the official story, told after the fact. She’d never forget the feeling of watching someone she’d felt such a strong connection with be killed by her fellow guards. It was only thanks to her prodigious ability with invisibility that she’d seen what really happened. It was an assassination. The hand sign specifically used when disposing of the King’s bastards. And now her time had come. Was that why she’d been put on this mission?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A flash of red crystalline light flashed in the corner of her eye. She turned and could only gape in astonishment.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He has an Armiger….! He has an ARMIGER!? How is that? But- Wait, is he… is he like me? Some bastard child of the Caelum’s they’re here to assassinate!? Is he not a daemon at all? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The survival rate of Glaive’s with a large amount of royal blood was very low. She’d always known that. But she’d never connected it to being intentional. And maybe this man was why. Maybe they didn’t want anyone else developing the ability to form their own Armiger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It certainly fit with what she knew of the royal family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fight that followed, from her perspective, was a frantic scramble for survival. She attempted to watch Adagium’s back, but found her own difficult to protect at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adagium was a decent fighter. Not as good as the best the glaive had to offer, but what he lacked in finesse he made up for in strength, cleaving her captain in two with one swing of his great sword.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the chaos of battle, she lost track of time. She was panting and covered in shallow wounds, sword play not her forte, when an explosion of fire engulfed the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>From the ball of fire, a voice bellowed in an unknown language, “Ecnelosni hcus. Dog a fo yrekcom a ekam slatrom uoy!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She and everyone else stopped fighting to gape at the man shaped being that towered over them. But she’d been told that Ifrit was dead!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s alive!” Adagium exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Besithia ran from the room yelling, “We must stop him before he destroys everything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The god of fire made the fight even more frantic. Multiple times she lost track of Adagium in the flames. Ifrit appeared to be attacking everyone indiscriminately, adding to the chaos inherent in fighting people who can warp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Between one breath and the next, she looked up and realized the glaive were all dead, as well as the Niffs. Killed by either Ifrit, Adagium, or herself. Most of them killed by Ifrit and Adagium. She was shocked to be alive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A yell grabbed her attention. She looked over to see Ifrit pick up Adagium with one hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ereh gniod House Caelum fo nam a si tahw?” The Infernian said in the strange language of the gods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the last of her strength, she hurled her daggers at the god. She wanted to laugh hysterically at herself but didn’t have the breath for it. She can’t see if her attempt to free Adagium from Ifrit was successful. her vision began to swim and she lost her balance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She fell to her knees, sending a piercing jolt up her thighs as they hit the unforgiving concrete. She could feel poison coursing through her veins, once held at bay by potions, but now free to run its course. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course they’d use a poisoned blade against her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her muscles were beginning to lock up, and soon she wouldn’t be able to move at all. She clutched one hand over the wound meant for her heart. The poison an extra precaution in case the killing blow doesn’t land, one she’d seen play out before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Usually it paralyzed people after only a few minutes. Perhaps it was her bastard blood that had slowed down the effects. Breathing was starting to become difficult, and her vision was going grey at the edges.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Movement caught her attention, the man who fought like the King appearing above her. She peered up at him, swaying slightly with the effort. She couldn’t read the expression on his face, but could tell that he seemed a little uncertain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Vaguely, she heard the deep voice of Chief Besithia. “One survived I see. Well, we can take care of-“ Besithia cut himself off when Adagium raised a hand to halt him. He does it with the casual authority of one used to being obeyed. In a small way, it reminded you of the King who betrayed you.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That thought, with the knowledge that the Infernian acknowledged him as from House Caelum, guided your next actions. For you didn’t want to die with a bond to a treacherous King.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The oath would have to be modified due to the shortening of your breath and the black growing at the edge of your vision. But as long as the intent was there, and the bond was severed through the creation of a new one, you'd be satisfied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A quote she’d read while preparing to become a full member of the glaive swam in her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <b>‘For so sworn, good or evil, an oath may not be broken. If forsworn, it shall pursue oathkeeper and oathbreaker to the world's end.’</b>
</p><p>
  <span>She hoped it was true.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I, Stella, forswear my previous oaths to the King of Lucis,” Adagium gasped in a shocked breath, “and dub him oathbreaker. I become yours from this day forth. I vow to never do ought of what is loathsome to you-” She coughed, “I do this on the condition that you reciprocate-" She couldn’t finished, her eyesight fading. So cut the rest of the oath off and skipped to the end. "I submit myself to you, and choose your will."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A part of her was vindictively pleased that she was able to die thwarting the will of the King. In ordering her death he broke his sacred oaths, thus freeing her from her bond.  She hoped the oathbreaking King would suffer for turning on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she started, she wasn’t sure if he'd accept her oath. But at the same time it just felt good to say the words. To verbally and magically sever her ties with the royal family who’d treated her as a war asset instead of as a person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’s a slight burst of magic, a hand on her forehead, and then she falls into oblivion.</span>
</p>
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